"—My turn, draw!"
"Then, I banish the Ozymandias that was destroyed earlier from my Graveyard to Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Ozymandias Alter] from my hand!"
The once radiant Rasseum was suddenly engulfed in black flas, starting from its base and rapidly spreading to its peak. In the blink of an eye, the entire structure was shrouded in a sinister darkness.
"This is my final trump card! The ti for vengeance has co—Ozymandias Alter!"
Slamming the card onto her Duel Disk with all her hopes riding on it, White Hoshino summoned an 'Alter' monster radiating overwhelming energy. With a light step, it ascended to the top of the now-blackened Rasseum.
[Heroic Spirit – Ozymandias Alter★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DARK][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2000]
[Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 "Heroic Spirit - Ozymandias" from your GY.]
Shrouded in pitch-black energy, Ozymandias Alter stood in silence, gazing upon the battlefield with the unshakable pride of an emperor.
Pointing toward him, Hoshino declared, "Even if he's three tis stronger in his Alter form, since he was Special Summoned, Gramps's effect will destroy him instantly!"
A gust of wind from a mighty blade swept forth—this ti, King Hassan made no effort to conceal his presence. With an open and honorable strike, he sought to eliminate Ozymandias Alter.
—For as long as no one remains to perceive an assassin, the assassination is complete. That is the essence of death.
"Futile!"
With a flick of his scepter, Ozymandias Alter countered. The Rasseum trembled, unleashing intense beams of dark light that instantly neutralized the sword aura aid at him.
"Ozymandias Alter's effect! As long as Rasseum exists on the field or in the Graveyard, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or effects! So even Gramps's effect won't break through!"
"Originally, the Pyramid's power allowed infinite resurrection. But now, in its reversed state, it grants destruction resistance instead…"
Gazing at the now-cold and silent Ozymandias Alter—who had only spoken two words so far—Hoshino couldn't help but remark:
"So your 'Alter' version turned you from a chatterbox into a brooding, aloof character? That's... actually a very fitting Alter transformation!"
"Since Ozymandias Alter is immune to destruction, he now has the qualifications to battle against Gramps!" White Hoshino declared, raising her Duel Disk proudly.
"Even though Ozymandias's current score is 0 to 3, according to Kaiba's 'sore loser' logic, as long as he wins in the final, most important round, all previous defeats beco irrelevant!"
"You're saying barely surviving one attack ans you can turn the tables? Isn't that a little too arrogant?" Hoshino retorted seriously.
Even though Altered Ozymandias still had a respectable 3000 ATK, it was nothing compared to King Hassan's 5000 ATK after his effect boost.
Yet White Hoshino's confidence gave Hoshino a gnawing sense of unease—an instinct that whispered this wasn't over.
"With no extra cards in hand, overcoming Gramps's attack power will be incredibly difficult."
White Hoshino casually waved her hand, flashing a knowing smile.
"Overcoming attack power?" she chuckled. "I never intended to win by stacking ATK! There's no ti for a slugfest at this point in the duel!"
Clenching her fist, White Hoshino made her final declaration.
The entire Kaiba Land duel arena trembled violently.
"This is the mont to throw down the biggest trump card! The final attack—no holding back! Ozymandias Alter, use the Rasseum, burning in dark flas, to deliver an earth-shattering crash!"
The 'trump card' she referred to was none other than Rasseum Tentyris—now transford into a burning black mass of destruction by Ozymandias Alter.
Amid the violent tremors of Kaiba Land, the once firmly rooted Rasseum was entirely uprooted, defying both logic and gravity.
Standing atop its peak, Ozymandias Alter, arms crossed, was engulfed in dark flas that ford the emblem of a pitch-black Sun God.
"A tombstone collision… So the Alter version retained that effect, huh?"
Watching the overwhelming spectacle, Hoshino recalled the ti aboard the blimp when Ozymandias had sacrificed his own temple to crush The Winged Dragon of Ra with its massive weight.
"But it's useless! Gramps has destruction immunity—so even if you slam the temple down, it won't affect him!"
As the blackened pyramid floated ominously overhead, White Hoshino smirked.
"Oh? Who said the temple can only attack using its top? Wouldn't it be much more effective… to smash it down using the base instead?"
"Wait—!! You're using the bottom for the attack?! Is that even possible?!"
Hoshino's eyes widened in disbelief.
But White Hoshino wasn't joking. And even if she were, now was no ti for jokes.
"This is Ozymandias Alter's ultimate effect! By banishing Rasseum from the field or Graveyard, ALL OTHER CARDS on the field are sent to the Graveyard!"
—'All cards on the field sent to the Graveyard.'
—A ruling that bypasses destruction resistance.
Even if King Hassan was immune to destruction, he was not immune to being sent to the Graveyard.
"Watch closely—this is my ultimate counterattack!"
Nearly shouting, White Hoshino braced herself against the waves of black fire, sweat trickling down her forehead.
"Do it, Ozymandias Alter! Surpass the gods, obliterate the demons, and make all creation kneel before you! This ultimate temple of both light and darkness—Rasseum Tentyris!!"
With colossal mass, the Rasseum flipped upside down, using its base as the impact point.
Engulfed in searing black flas, it unleashed a crushing force so vast it defied all attempts to escape.
"King Hassan! Perish beneath the might of the greatest Pyramid this world has ever known!"
Standing atop the temple's peak, Ozymandias Alter poured every ounce of his mana into accelerating its descent.
The destructive force—already massive—skyrocketed to unparalleled levels.
—BOOOOOOM!!
The cataclysmic impact nearly shattered the very foundations of Kaiba Land—even though it was rely a holographic projection.
Shielding himself from the intense heat waves, Kaiba wore an indescribable expression.
"What kind of duel is this?! Since when did monsters this powerful exist? Is this your true strength, Hoshino?!"
"I… I won!!"
Even White Hoshino herself hadn't been sure the attack would succeed.
But now, surveying the field, only Ozymandias Alter and the still-burning temple remained.
"Even Gramps… couldn't withstand it! I did it! I can stay in this wor—"
—SNAP.
Before she could finish her sentence, a deafening sword slash tore through the silence.
A blue fla erupted from the temple's base, engulfing the black fire.
Like a perfectly drawn line, the slash split the mighty temple clean in half—from the bottom to the peak.
"That can't be possible..."
The excitent of victory vanished in an instant, replaced by a deep sense of fear within White Hoshino.
Following the path of the fla that had split the Rasseum, the once-mighty structure began to collapse like an avalanche, its clean, mirror-like cut marking its impending downfall.
"Ah, a most fortunate parry indeed! Verily, were it not for the goodly cooperation of my contractor, this mortal coil—now bearing a most grisly semblance—would have already returned hence to the bosom of the earth."
It was rare for him to offer praise. Walking out from the crumbling temple with unhurried steps, King Hassan's great sword was now wreathed in the sa azure flas that had cleaved through the Radiant and Blackfla Rasseum Tentyris.
"That was truly dangerous... I didn't expect Ozymandias Alter to wield such a terrifying effect. If you'd summoned him just one turn earlier, I likely would've been the one to fall..."
A field wipe that ignored destruction immunity, coupled with a massive impact attack using the temple's base—this defied everything Hoshino had co to understand as "normal."
"But now, I activate the Quick-Play Spell—[Projection]!"
It was the sole card Hoshino had set during the previous turn, and it had been the key to King Hassan surviving the temple's crushing finale.
[Projection – Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster you control; equip it with 1 Equip Spell from your Deck that specifically lists "Heroic Spirit" in its text.]
"The Equip Spell I'm projecting from my Deck and equipping to Gramps is..."
Drawing the card from her Deck, Hoshino revealed what looked like a simple, unremarkable greatsword—King Hassan's personal weapon. Yet it was a blade he had wielded throughout his life, steeped in the unwavering faith he had always carried.
"——The Equip Spell, [Azrael]!!"
[Azrael – Equip Spell Effect: This card can only be equipped to a DARK "Heroic Spirit" monster.
The equipped monster gains 1000 ATK. If the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, send that destroyed monster to the bottom of its owner's Deck instead of to the GY.]
A blade borne by one who walked the boundary of Death—every swing of it carried the certainty of annihilation.
"And furthermore, when Azrael is equipped to Gramps, it gains an additional effect!"
[While equipped to "Heroic Spirit - Hassan-i-Sabbah":
When your opponent activates a card effect: You can send this card to the GY; negate that activation, and if you do, banish that card.]
"So, at the mont Ozymandias Alter activated his effect, I sacrificed Azrael! Not only did that stop your final ability from resolving, but it also banished Ozymandias Alter as a result!"
The sa azure blade that had cleaved through the Rasseum now extended toward the figure atop it—cutting through all in its path.
"Just how powerful does a Grand Servant have to be...?"
Having lost even his signature chatterbox personality, Ozymandias Alter uttered a single begrudging remark before vanishing alongside the collapsing temple.
[Heroic Spirit – Ozymandias Alter banished]
"This truly is the end now. There's no longer any chance for a coback."
Hoshino lowered her arm, letting her Duel Disk relax as she looked across the field at the girl who bore her exact appearance—now wearing a blank, lifeless expression.
"It's over, huh... Even though I bet everything on this, I still lost in the end."
Coming to terms with the outco, White Hoshino had nothing left—no cards in hand, no monsters, no set cards. The field had reached a deadlock, and on the next turn, Hoshino would only need to declare an attack to end the duel.
"I lost... I really lost. This wasn't how it was supposed to be..."
Slumping weakly to the ground, White Hoshino's Duel Disk released the cards it had stored, letting them scatter around her.
"This wasn't how it was supposed to be! I was supposed to win! The victory should have been mine! Why Gramps?! Why did you have to interfere?! Why did you have to stand against ?!"
"My contractor, from the very onset, I declared this endeavor a contest ordained by destiny itself."
"Of course, I know that this is a battle of fate!"
White Hoshino slamd her fist against her chest and shouted at King Hassan, her voice laced with rage.
"This is a duel to decide which of us can continue to exist! But why?! Why are you helping her?! I'm also Hoshino Chiyuki! I want to stay in this world too!"
King Hassan gave no reply. He rely planted his great sword into the ground once more, assuming his usual, immovable stance.
"I see. So this is just favoritism from an old man, isn't it? You must think I'm a bad child for what I did at Chaldea. You must have already written off as a villain."
"But I just..."
"I just wanted to stay... in this world..."
The world that belonged to her—and her father.
At that mont, Hoshino rembered the choice Father had asked her to make—whether to return to her original world, or remain in the one she had saved.
"You must have already decided to go back to your world and live an easy, carefree life, right? No one knows better than I do! Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore. You won, so just end your turn and finish it!"
Lowering her head, White Hoshino seed to have completely surrendered. She sat on the ground, unmoving, signaling the end of her turn.
[White Hoshino: 0 Hand Cards | 0 Set Cards]
"My contractor, victory doth nigh approach! Deliver now the ultimate decree."
(*****)
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